My New Early Morning Writing Ritual

Okay, I'll be the first to admit that this new ritual of mine works precisely because I am a morning person. It's in my blood. I can't help it. My husband, on the other hand, is the complete opposite.


If this is me in the morning...

...then this is my husband...

And then we're pretty much reversed when it's after 7pm in the evening and I become the groggy one and he becomes the crazy awake one.

Anyway, I digress.

My new morning routine:

I wake up at 5:45. I get up, throw on some work-out clothes and sit at my office desk. I plug in headphones to my laptop and play ambient music from Pandora. Then, for one hour, I write.

The time flies by... I've done this for three days in a row and it's been fantastic. Though writing more consistently keeps me awake to the painful reality that I have so much more writing to do, it is unbelievably good for me. I am making progress. Bit by bit I am chipping away at my goal. And that feels reallyreally good.

I have reworked the opening to my story and I like the new beginning. I need to continue to hash out some strong specifics in terms of overall plot. And I need to nail down EXACTLY how the book series is going to end. I've always been a fan of authors who so clearly and diligently wrote with the end in mine. That's what made me fall in love with Charles Dickens. He was a master at planting plot points and details in the beginning of a story (and at first glance they seem inconsequential). Then, at the end of the book, it becomes clear how all those little details and plot points were leading up to a triumphant and expertly crafted finish.

After I write for an hour I record how many words I wrote and my length of time. I bought one of those gigantic desk calendars and I write down my word count and time spent writing each day. It's a big glaring reminder for me to stay on track. I also use the desk calendar to record the miles that I run each day. Speaking of which, after my hour of writing I drag my husband out of bed, grab breakfast, and we hit the gym. So far, so good! I'm averaging 1.5-2 miles a day!

Once I get the beginning of my story really nailed down I'll post it for everyone's perusal. Eek! Hold me to it. I need to stay on track. Plus, I'll definitely be needing some honest feedback! Stay tuned!